Let's Celebrate Fashion
Revolution Day!

Brandon Sun “Small
World” Column, Monday, April 13 / 15Zack
Gross

It
will be two years later this month since the Bangladeshi eight-story
Rana Plaza clothing factory collapsed, killing 1,135 people and
injuring 2,500 more. This tragedy is only one of many fires,
collapses and other “accidents” that happen around the world in
sweatshops where people make clothing for the brands that we buy.

Beneath the headline-grabbing disasters is a system that grinds along
every day in which impoverished workers – men, women and children – with very little choice toil in terrible conditions.

While
these dirty, dangerous and undignified working conditions in sweatshops
around the world might give us pause to feel some guilt, the modern
shopper is still looking for cheap bargains, even if our savings impact
very negatively on other people's lives.

We
might assume that we are helping to create jobs for poor
people.
We might think that its better for a child to work than for their
family to starve. There are alternatives, such as enforcing
regulations that ensure a living wage, safe working conditions and at
least a half day of schooling for children. We might pay a
bit
more for clothing and get better quality too!

Two years after the tragedy, to keep this issue alive, a new campaign
has been launched and can be viewed at the website of the Canadian
Fair Trade Network, entitled The
Label Doesn't Tell the
Whole Story. Working with ReThink Communications,
the CFTN –
based in Vancouver – has posted a series of photos of a sweater, a
hoodie and a suit jacket with very long labels that tell the stories of
the people who made them.

The sweater has
been made by a nine-year old Cambodian boy who gets up at 5 a.m. and
works at the garment factory from dark until dark (not dawn until
dusk), wearing light clothing to try to withstand the 30 degree heat in
the production room, while his mouth and nose fill with the dust
generated around him. This child is paid $1 per
day. The
company doesn't even provide a mask which would cost 10 cents.

The hoodie has been made by a father of two girls who lives in Sierra
Leone, West Africa. From working with cotton, the most
pesticide-sprayed commodity on Earth, without any safety
considerations, this man has been spitting up blood and now at 34 years
of age has been diagnosed with leukemia. He didn't tell
anyone at
first about his medical issues as he feared he would lose his
job. After suffering a seizure, he was diagnosed with
pesticide
poisoning. Now, one of his daughters will take his place at the factory.

The third image, the smart suit jacket, was made by Joya, a 12-year
old girl in Bangladesh who went to work for the factory where her
father was killed in a fire. Of course, due to the
destruction of
the original site, she works across the street. Joya, if she
were
aware at all that some people want to change things, would be excited
by Fashion
Revolution Day. It is now an annual event on April
24th to highlight factory tragedies and daily oppression in the garment
industry. People are invited to wear their clothing with the labels
showing, take a selfie and tweet it at #whomademyclothes.

Dara O'Rourke, a California professor, wrote the book Shopping for Good
to promote the idea of ethical, green and safe consumption.
He
has some tips for buying clothes responsibly. He suggests
that
consumers learn about the companies at which they shop and then hold
them to account. You can ask questions and make suggestions,
look
them up on the Internet, tell them you will be a loyal customer and
recommend them to your friends if they bring in fair trade or “no
sweat” items.

As it's sometimes harder to get
information from larger store chains, consider smaller, local
shops. Think about how to get your message out
publicly.
Your favourite clothing shop might like to host a “clean clothing”
event! And, finally, be prepared to spend
a little
bit more to get good quality, certified apparel. O'Rourke
also
has an on-line resource called the Good Guide.

Reaction to the Label campaign, the CFTN tells me, has been
overwhelming. The next challenge is to make Fair Trade
Certified
clothing more available to Canadian consumers. At the moment,
you
can find these clothes online and at a small number of specialty
shops. Ordering in fair trade apparel from the U.S. or U.K. can
be
quite expensive.

Work is being done
to build a fair trade production pipeline from Asia to
Canada. As
we focus more and more on sustainability and social responsibility in
schools, government and business, the interest is growing beyond what
is now available. But it won't take long, and there will
hopefully then be something of a Fashion Revolution!

Zack Gross is a
former Executive Director of the Marquis Project
in Brandon.